Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Stake Lessened by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,069 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,620 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Republic Services were worth $25,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Republic Services by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank increased its stake in Republic Services by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Access Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Republic Services by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Republic Services by 16.5% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 382 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 57.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Republic Services Trading Up 0.5 %

Republic Services stock opened at $230.73 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $212.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.27. Republic Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $179.62 and a 52 week high of $232.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.05 billion, a PE ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.28% and a net margin of 12.74%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Republic Services, Inc. will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is 35.75%.

Insider Activity

In other Republic Services news, COO Gregg Brummer sold 6,293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.20, for a total value of $1,436,062.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,931.20. This represents a 37.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Katharine Weymouth sold 1,859 shares of Republic Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.27, for a total value of $400,186.93. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 879 shares in the company, valued at $189,222.33. The trade was a 67.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Republic Services from $240.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Republic Services from $219.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Republic Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $211.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Republic Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Republic Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $219.00 to $237.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.75.

Republic Services Profile

Republic Services, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers environmental services in the United States and Canada. It is involved in the collection and processing of recyclable, solid waste, and industrial waste materials; transportation and disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous waste streams; and other environmental solutions.